


The Resting Place for Forever Unfinished Works-In-Progress

by Yappano



Category: Naruto
Genre: i like the akatsuki it seems i am a simple farmer who only plants sakura trees and akatsuki veggies, some other characters are sasori deidara kakuzu konan ino naruto sasuke and kakashi, tagging only her because she's the main character in every story i write because i have a problem
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-05
Updated: 2019-04-05
Packaged: 2020-01-05 07:14:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18361205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yappano/pseuds/Yappano
Summary: May they rest in peace.Dumping old stuff here that I will never finish, but feel bad just deleting off my computer. If they give you a smile or inspiration in any way possible, I'm glad.





	1. Trials and Tribulations (SasoSakuDei)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura goes to a local college and becomes entangled in the lives of the two owners of a very strange store.
> 
> Written circa Not Sure, but most likely in high school, so at least five years ago.

Sakura glanced up at the sign, water soaking her to her core.  


  
It was well crafted and carved in polished wood, spelling out "Eternal Oddities" in a beautiful font. However, tacked right on to the sign was a plastic sign that looked like it was gratified on. All it added was "And Explosions!" in vibrant colors.  


  
She was new in town, just joining a small college that only accepted the best of the best in particular fields. She spent all four years of high school cramming and studying to the point of exhaustion to get into the meticulous dream school. She even begged and spent her senior year as an intern at the hospital in her city.  


  
All those sleepless nights and tear soaked stress pillows were worth it the moment she got the acceptance letter, as well a notice that she received a full ride provided she kept her grades above a 3.5 GPA.  


  
Once she settled into her single dorm, she decided to explore the shops downtown. School didn't start until Monday, giving her a full weekend to check on surrounding areas. Which would have been nice if it wasn't such a grey September. It decided to start pouring and she was left without shelter.  


  
She grimaced at her luck with weather and stepped into the store.  


  
A bell chimed and the door creaked open, and then closed. She glanced around. The store was covered wall to wall with dolls and puppets made from woods and ceramics. She stepped towards one of the shelves, wanting a closer look at one of the beautiful dolls.  


  
"Ahem," a voice broke her thoughts. She jumped back and turned towards the source. A young man stood behind the counter. He had unruly red hair and brown eyes hidden behind heavy lids. There was a moment of silence where they just stared at each other. "You're making a mess of my store."  


  
Sakura eyed the man, thoroughly confused. She didn't even touch anything. When he pointed at her feet, she glanced down obediently. There, she stood in a puddle of water, her tracks leading towards the entry way.  


  
"Ah! I'm sorry!" Sakura looked back up, embarrassed. "It's just that it started raining," she gestured out of the tinted window and his eyes followed, "and I wanted to get out of it, but the dorms... are so... far away." She became quieter when she noticed he was just staring at her with no reaction.  


  
She looked away from the awkward store owner and bit her cheek. After counting to five Mississippi to confirm he wasn’t going to say anything more, she turned towards the doll she was previously looking at.  


  
“You wouldn’t be able to afford that one,” the redhead sighed out.  


  
Sakura stiffened. Then blinked. She turned to him slowly with a raised eyebrow.  


  
“Not to be rude, but how do you know what I would and would not be able to afford?”  


  
“You said you’re staying in dorms, meaning you attend the local University.” He paused, so she opened her mouth to confirm his obvious statement, but he spoke again before she could say anything. “That school is quite expensive. I don’t think a girl such as you-” He looked her up and down, thoroughly creeping her out, “would be able to afford anything in this shop.”  


  
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sakura bit out, not even trying to conceal her anger. It was one thing for him to get angry about her making his floor wet, but to insult her…!  


  
Before she could get an answer, her view was covered by a blonde mop of hair.  


  
“Master Sasori, stop fighting with your customers!”  


  
Said man gave a huff, but consented and looked away. Sakura looked at the man in front of her, or rather the back of him. He had long blond hair that could make anyone jealous. She patted her pink locks self-consciously.  


  
“Hello, ma’am,” the blond turned and whipped out his hand. He was actually very pretty. He had striking blue eyes and long dark eyelashes. “My name is Deidara, and I co-own this store.”  


  
That statement led to a snort from Sasori.  


  
“Ah,” Sakura started slowly. She shook his hand, only for it to be covered in goop. She pulled back her hand and looked at the gray stuff covering her hand with disdain. “You must be the explosions?”  


  
“That I am, yeah!” He proudly stated. “Like the sign. It adds some pop to this dreary place.”/p>

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had no plans for this. I was just writing as it came to mind, but I can definitely tell is was going to be a slow threeway between these dweebs.


	2. Running Rampant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A time travel fix-it fic in which Sakura attempts to fling herself back in time to fix things, but ends up in the past with no filter, as Sakura herself wasn't able to get sent back, but her inner thoughts certainly did. Inner's adventures as she is aggressively silly, loud, angry, and super emotional and honest in every way possible.
> 
> Written circa July 2014

Sakura couldn't do it. Her mind just couldn't handle it. It was slowly chipping away as the physical energy of the jutsu whipped around and through her body. She grit her teeth; she needed to accomplish this. Everyone was depending on her.

A sudden crack sounded out in her mind and a small voice started yelling out words of encouragement. 

Then everything went black. Sakura didn't come to when Naruto shook her body, yelling things. Kakashi gripped his shoulder and said something softly. After a few more seconds, everything went silent. And then a little pop sounded out and an intense amount of stimulation flooded into her. 

"What the heck just happened!?" Sakura yelled out, fligging herself upright into a standing position. She slammed her fists down aiming them to reach her sides, and was moving into a pout when her hands made contact with wood. Suddenly, Sakura went blank. Confused, she slowly eyed her surroundings. She wasn't where she last was thinking. 

More than two dozen adolescents stared at her within the room she was standing. A couple of familiar faces adorned some of the children, and a very familiar and confused teacher stood infront of the really familiar classroom. 

"Cha! It worked!" 

"Sakura, what worked?" Her teacher, Iruka, slowly asked. He seemed to be in the middle of something. 

"Uh, I was just, uh, testing out a distraction method, ya see!" Sakura unabashedly said, waving her hand up and down by her face. She gave a smirk before seating herself, ignoring the whispers that followed. Nothing she couldn't handle, she had a job to do and the gossip of kids wasn't going to ruin her day. 

"Will you guys just shut up!?" 

Well, maybe they would a little. She bit her lip before shifting her attention on other thoughts. She couldn't trust her mouth to stay shut, yet, so extra precaution never hurt. She ignored Iruka as he got the class back on track, doing whatever they were doing. 

She focused her eyes on the ceiling before resuming her thought process. Something was seriously wrong here. Well, not seriously, but it was a bit alarming. She bit her lip a bit harder. It seemed as if... It seemed as if Sakura didn't entirely get sent back correctly. If she had any wits about her, and she certainly did no matter what certain others would say, Sakura concluded that a very important part got clipped away. A filter, a knowledge of how to act in front of others, knowledge to keep your mouth shut. And all that was left behind was Inner. 

"... Naruto Uzumaki." 

Sakura blinked in surprise, letting her teeth sink out of her bottom lip. She flicked her tongue over the spot to see if there was any blood there - it was clean - before shifting her focus to the teacher. 

"Sakura Haruno." 

A bright boy who sat right to her right jumped up excitedly. Sakura turned to him with a blank expression. She had three seconds before she had to chomp down on her lip again. Naruto, it was a little version of Naruto. Ah, Sakura slapped her hands to her cheeks, he was super cute, in a ruggish, childish way. 

"And Sasuke Uchiha." 

Suddenly feeling like the object of hatred of half the class, Sakura didn't take even a second to turn her head towards the gazes. She gave a tight glare, and short snarl, and then giggled. Sticking out her tongue, she turned back to her teacher, who was effectively ignoring the girls, until... 

"Why do I have to be on a team with him!?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was fun, but I never actually planned anything with it and didn't have much motivation to actually go through with it. Just a solitary thought and a short quick afternoon of writing.... five years ago.
> 
> Yeah.


	3. Meetings (One-sided KakuSaku)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A snapshot selection of scenes of Sakura Haruno in a universe where she's into unusual types of people*. She brushes into this one man several times and begins to wonder if it's fate. It may be fate, but it's not fated romance.
> 
> Written circa Sometime in the Past Few Years (the date is when I transferred all the files to a new computer for some reason.)
> 
> *More Info Below

\- (12) -

Sakura glanced across the street at the tall man wearing a dark cloak. It was kind of tacky, but he was sort of interesting. She couldn’t tell what he looked like due to his mask, but that just made him mysterious and her curious. 

Of course, her attraction to him didn’t matter at all. He was much too old for her! But she could dream of a dreamy future. And gush about it with Ino when she got back to the village. 

Apparently she was staring too much because his eyes met hers. His were mesmerizing, she quickly thought. They were strangely colored with the whites being red and his iris’ being a nice green. The moment passed, though, with him dismissing her and moving on. 

What a hunk-a-dunk, Sakura laughed to herself, then moved on herself. She had to meet with the rest of the team in a half an hour and she wanted to explore the town a bit more before that. 

\- (13) -

Sakura peeked across the shop at the man that she saw the previous year. His fashion sense did not change at all, it seems. At least that was something stable in her life, Sakura sighed to herself. He seemed to be in a deep conversation with the shop keep, so Sakura took her time to gather what she was buying. 

Tsunade sent her out to buy a certain herb. The medics in Konoha could make it, but it was a lot faster to come to a specialty shop. What’s three hours of processing plus the time it takes to gather it to a two hour trip to a mainly civilian city? It’s not even that expensive. Sakura looked at the price tag and sniffed. She’d charge more. She grabbed four one pound bags of the stuff. 

“Hold on, sir!” The erratic voice of the shop keep suddenly echoed throughout the empty shop. The big guy was holding the portly cashier by the neck of his clothes. Sakura tensed, not sure how to react. However, when the guy was slammed against the counter, she moved into overdrive. 

She dropped the bags and rushed over to the counter. The big guy looked at her, first surprised that someone else was in the shop (or maybe that someone would be willing to confront him), and Sakura wondered if she saw a dash of recognition. 

Stopping a few feet away, Sakura put her hands up in a placating effort. He looked mighty aggressive. “Um,” Sakura smartly started, knowing she’d hate herself later for sounding so unsure. “Can you put the man down? I’m sure there is no reason to be so… aggressive?” She glanced at the cashier who was looking at her like she was a goddess. 

And then he was dropped. The tall man glared darkly at her, but with a swish of his cloak, he turned and began to leave the shop. 

“I’ll be back later,” he said, gruffly. Sakura’s heart swelled. What a handsome voice, she wanted to squeal! But she kept herself in check. “You better reconsider.” 

“Yes, of course, Kakuzu!” The clerk nodded several times. Sakura looked at him, suddenly confused. Did they know each other? But Kakuzu, his name is Kakuzu. She definitely was going to talk to Ino about this. Meeting twice had to mean something. 

Sure, he was not the nicest guy, if this scene was any description of his personality. But it wasn’t as if she was actually pining after the older guy. Fantasy was something that she and he best friend had a healthy love of. And this Kakuzu seemed to have a dangerous flair to him that (while concerning) was something that could distract her from reality – Sasuke and Naruto being gone. 

With that, she bought the herbs. The shop keep gave her an extra bag for free with a smile. 

\- (14) -

Sakura gaped at the man. Was this going to be an annual thing? She almost forgot about him, too. She swept her growing hair over her shoulders, feeling self-conscious for some reason. She bit her lip, considering poking Ino to gain her attention. 

Kakuzu probably didn’t even notice her. She wasn't that memorable, she thought to herself. Or maybe he did rememeber her and was ignoring her. Which could be for the best. Sakura was on a mission and if he held any annoyances from their last meeting that would delay the mission that would be bad. 

She hesitated for a moment before turning to Ino, gaining her attention. She whispered, “Your left. Tall guy. Kakuzu.” 

Ino blinked slowly before recognition flashed in her eyes. They hadn't talked about him for some months now, so it wasn't that much of a shock that she didn't remember that fast. Ino turned her head only slightly, slyly moving her eyes in a calm manner. Sakura was very glad that Ino was good at being discreet. 

Ino seemed to pause her step for a moment, but continued on, not turning back to Sakura until they were about another ten feet away from him. Then Ino whipped her head around, her lips contorted. 

"Him?" Her voice was shrill and quiet at the same time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This would go on for awhile with a few more meetings in between now and when the ZombiCombi take out Asuma in which Sakura would get a harsh wake up call. At that point, she already knew he belonged to Akatsuki, however she has a hopeless romantic heart and always thinks things can work out. With Ino's heart broken from losing a loved one, Sakura needs to realize that life isn't so easy.
> 
> Nothing really planned out, though, ahaha... Whoops.
> 
> *The "Sakura is into unusual types of people" was supposed to be a one shot collection called The Weirdos that I thought up when I was around twelve years old. It was going to be about universes where Sakura decided to give up Sasuke because she thought her friendship with Ino was more important and told herself from now on she would only be interested in more... strange folk, so she wouldn't ever be competition to Ino. At the time, I don't think Kakuzu even showed up beyond a silhouette so I didn't think of him, but Zetsu was definitely on the table.


	4. Convince Me (SasoSaku)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short unfinished one shot where Sasori keeps Sakura as a trophy and has _sweet_ conversations about love with her.
> 
> Written circa mid-2014

"I can't give you children."

"I know," she said, her face set tight. It was beautiful. "And I don't care." 

She cared so much more than she let on, and he knew. He didn't say anything. 

"I don't care," she said once more, quietly as if she was saying more for herself than him. She most likely was. 

"Why do you like me, Sakura?" 

She paused and stared into his eyes, looking at one, then the other with something unreadable in her own. At least, he could convince himself it wasn't fear. 

"I-" She started and paused, and suddenly looked away. She shifted her arms to gesture to something behind him. "I like your art." 

"Why do you like my art?" 

"Well," she took a shuddering breath, "I like it because... It's your passion." She shifted her eyes back to his and chewed on her bottom lip. "All your puppets are very well crafted, and it shows that you are a dedicated person. 

"I see," Sasori said. "Is that the only reason you like me? There must be more reasons. Don't keep me in suspense, Sakura. You know I don't like that." 

She flinched at his words. She looked down at the floor between them and finally lowered her arms. She seemed to be thinking. 

“I like,” she said quietly, “that you like things to happen quickly. It’s true there is no point to wait for things.” 

He gave her a smile. 

“I like your hair. And your looks,” she rambled off. “Your art will make you forever beautiful. I like that you’re level headed most of the time. I like that you are strong. I like that you like me.” 

She was lying. 

“Do you love me, Sakura?” 

“Yes?” Her voice shook uncomfortably. 

“Then, will you become my puppet?” 

Her breath hitched. And she looked into his eyes, not even trying to conceal anything. 

“Is… Is that what you want from me?” 

“Truthfully?” He asked with a dark smile on his face. She took a step back. And then another and another until her back hit a wall. Her eyes watered a bit and she looked away from him. 

“Truth-“ 

“No.” 

Sakura whipped her eyes back to his in surprise. 

“You’re different. What makes you beautiful is something that is only shown through your liveliness,” Sasori gave a small frown. “It’s disappointing.” 

“Then why…?” 

“You’re disappointing as well.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Sakura, I love Sasori, I like dark things. Boom.


	5. The Weirdos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's this? A chapter about a story plot I mentioned in another chapter? Yes, I found a file.
> 
> In which Sakura decides she prizes Ino's friendship more than pretty boys, so she swears off the lot. But she's still a hopeless romantic and will one day find her one true love~! But they'll be a big weirdo. This chapter was going to be the introduction with several different chapters of what if she got with one person or another.
> 
> In retrospect, I should have just made a InoSaku.
> 
> Written circa July 2014, but conceived around 2008, probably.

When Sakura was ten years old, she decided that she wouldn't like Sasuke anymore. After mulling around her room in horror for more than a few hours, she had come to the relization that losing her one and only truest of true friends would not be worth it if Sasuke ended up picking one of them. Ino had helped her when she really needed it, so she could only smile to herself when she resolved to pay her back with this.

At the age of ten, Haruno Sakura decided that she would from then on never like another obvious attractive and or popular guy. From that day, hencefore, she would only like 

The Weirdos.

\---

Sakura graduated from the academy with the highest honors in academics and below average athletics. She didn't mind, though. She now had a lot of time to train under someone who had more experience. She was a qualified genin. 

She sat next to her best friend, Ino, and eyed the room, curious as to who was going to end up on her team. She spent the previous night with the blonde, discussing all the possiblities. Just before entering the classroom this morning, she gave her a good luck thumbs up. Sakura was really hoping that Sasuke would end up on Ino's squad. 

She glanced down at the dark haired boy that was sitting in the row below her. She couldn't tell what kind of expression he was making, but she assumed he was brooding. That was his nature. Next to him sat the class clown, Naruto. He was squabbling with a lot of Sasuke's fangirls. Sakura and Ino went through plenty of magazines with relationship advice and had come to the conclusion that Sasuke might prefer a more mysterious woman. Ino was trying out that approach. 

Before she could turn back to Ino to start a conversation about something or other, the classroom door slid open and their teacher walked in. Iruka stepped up to his desk, shuffled some papers, and began his announcements. 

"... And on Team Seven," Iruka continued. Ino and Sakura tensed up for the seventh time since Iruka began talking. "Naruto Uzumaki." 

Naruto stopped shifting in his seat and sat at attention. 

"Sakura Haruno." 

Ino looked over to her with a worried look. Sakura shrugged. While Naruto wasn't one of the most desired of teammates, she could deal with him. If only he'd stop flirting with her... Below her, Naruto turned and gave her a big smile after doing a little dance in his seat. She gave a pained grin back. 

"And Sasuke Uchiha." 

They tensed for the eighth time. Sakura's grin faded and she peaked over at Ino through her bangs. Ino wasn't looking back at her. The phrase, "Oh no," kept repeating through her mind. 'Cha! She better not be mad after all we did!' 

After a few long seconds, Ino looked over at Sakura with a sad smile. 

"What can you do?" She whispered. Sakura didn't know how to respond, so she just nodded her head a bit. 

After all the teams were announced (Ino wasn't too frustrated with hers), the classroom slowly got smaller and smaller as the jounin came to pick up their squads. Ino was one of the last one's to go. She looked up as her teacher came in and gave Sakura a small thumbs up. Sakura returned the gesture. Once Ino was out of the room, Sakura slumped down in her seat and rested her head in her hands. 

She felt really bad. Ino might have been a good sport outwardly, but Sakura knew her enough to know that she was probably seething. And Sakura hoped that not even the tiniest amount was aimed at her. 

Time slowly ticked by with each of the newly appointed genin keeping to their own thoughts. Sakura was about to sigh in an attempt to break the silence when she heard Naruto snickering to himself. She glanced up just in time to see him fiddling with the door. 

"What are you doing?" Sakura gave him a curious stare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, I ran out of steam. As I do. Frequently. Hehehe. :)


	6. Origami

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the Wave mission fails and Sakura is left alone, she stumbles into the help of an angel.
> 
> This chapter only contains the failure of the mission and nothing about Konan at all. Hahah!
> 
> Written circa March 2018

Tazuna’s body falls like a sack of rice. The blood splashes against her skin, staining her clothes a shade darker, before she even realizes what is happening. The smell is intensely nauseating. The sight of him cut shoulder to hip takes it a step further and makes her lose her breakfast next to his corpse. She is terrified to the point that she cannot even process what she should do in this situation.

Her years at the academy were worth something. She believed it with all her heart. She strived for and achieved the spot as number one kunoichi every single year. It was partly because she was talented at learning – reading and memorizing items for tests was as simple as breathing. Well, perhaps harder than that. She had times where she struggled, of course, but she did her best to make it appear easy as pie. The other part of her success was thanks to her rivalry with Ino – former friend, bitter enemy. Ino was good at lots of things, so Sakura had to be great. 

She studied every night, worked on the written assignments with vigor, and did the after school physical exercises with some disdain. They took quite some time out of her night and they weren’t even up to snuff with what clan children were doing, but the academy gave her a general run down and her parents gave her some tips they used when they were younger. She made do. 

She read books – nonfiction and fiction – and wrote reports on the history of military tactics and one-on-one battles with anonymous adversaries. She even made a poster with Ino for a project during second grade on what guidelines you should follow when you’re alone and helpless. 

Her years at the academy were worth something. So why couldn’t she remember something so simple in her time of need? She is alone. She is helpless. Yet all her mind’s eye will pull up is an empty poster and Ino’s smile. Is this what they refer to as one’s life flashing before you, she wonders. 

Tears stained her face, but she did nothing to stop more from falling as she tried to regain her ability to breathe. Her mouth tasted like acid. 

Kakashi was not breathing. He has been unconscious in a bubble of water floating over the lake for at least a minute. Naruto and Sasuke’s heads were bashed together. They are unconscious, crumpled on the floor, blood pooling, seeping into the dirt, between them from under their forehead protectors and noses and cuts and scrapes and – 

Breathe. 

Sakura had two seconds to duck a swing from Zabuza’s sword and she did it in one by collapsing completely and then rolling away. She didn’t get but a few feet away before his foot stomped down on her side, pressing her arm heavily into her torso. She felt a crack – or two, and pain erupted from both her upper arm and her chest. The air left her lungs and didn’t come back. His foot lifted and without a moment’s warning, she was flung into a tree with a well-placed kick to her stomach. It hurt. She couldn’t breathe. She panicked. 

As soon as she slid off the tree, she scrambled to her feet. 

She bolted. 

Zabuza was on her heels, she had to run, she had to get away, she didn’t want to die! She could barely see her surroundings as tears filled her eyes. She stumbled over tree roots and scraped her arms on bushes full of brambles. 

Just as she hopped over a small shrub, a senbon suddenly struck her on the back of her neck and she crumpled into herself, tumbling down into a pile of limbs and snot. She felt blood spill into her throat and she couldn’t swallow it with the sharp metal cutting into her esophagus. 

It took her a few moments to realize that she couldn’t feel anything below her neck at all. She couldn’t move any of her limbs. She let out a strangled sob, which came out more of a moan. 

She felt someone drop to the ground next to her prone body and began to beg in raspy whispers. She tasted copper. She was going to choke. 

“Haku.” Zabuza caught up to her, but she did know that his voice was too far away to be the one next to her. Haku, the boy, knelt towards Zabuza, bowing his head. They were ignoring her pleas. She couldn’t tell if that was a good thing or not, but nevertheless stopped because it was hurting her more than doing good. She just cried silently into the dirt. 

“Master Zabuza.” 

“I was going to take care of her myself.” 

“She was not worth you lifting a finger. You have more important things to do.” 

Zabuza didn’t respond at first, but seemed to agree with a hum. He jumped away a moment later and Sakura was left with Haku. The masked boy looked down at her. She peered into the dark slits that hid his eyes, tired. 

Without a word, he pulled his senbon out. Sakura let out choked gasp as blood began to fall anew. The breath in caused the blood pouring into her throat to slide down into her lungs, causing a coughing fit that just exasperated the bleeding. 

She pulled her body off the ground and curled into her knees, forming a ball in an attempt to stop the cycle, letting the blood spill out of her mouth and out of the hole onto the ground for a while, waiting for it to clot. Haku did nothing to stop her, she noted, prepared for another blow. 

When most of the bleeding stopped, she looked up. Haku was nowhere to be seen. In momentary panic, she looked every which way, the scabs forming on her neck pulling. Was this guy just using her as a play thing? 

After a minute of no surprise attack, she looked back in the direction she ran from. The direction where her teammates were, dead. She could do nothing. Her tears renewed. Sasuke was dead. Naruto was dead. Kakashi was dead. She was alone. And she was scared. And she was so far from home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi was just unconscious. The boys were just unconscious. But poor Sakura had no clue and she was certain she would be dead if she stayed, so she didn't.
> 
> What would follow if this was a finished story would be that Sakura, in her pain, heartbreak, lack of food, and exhaustion, would go the wrong way and end up collapsing by a rainy lake.
> 
> Konan feels sorry for a little girl who doesn't know how to process what is happening around her and decides to help. She takes in the girl - a child from a terrible village - convincing herself it just was in some sort of way a thank you to Jiraya's mentorship when they were children.
> 
> Sakura is told to not don any of her village insignia and she does so. After some time, she gets used to Ame, but then news comes to her that her team is fine and they've labeled her as MIA.
> 
> By this point, she is given leverage by the people who took her in - you can go home if you join our spy network. She's afraid to go back anyways because if they're alive, that means she abandoned them rather than just running off after failing them.
> 
> Or some stuff like that. I never really finalized it all.


	7. A Mother's Touch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unwittingly, Sakura Haruno somehow wakes up in the body of her twelve year old self. That would be fine and all, but she is actually quite happy with the life she made herself. She has a good job, a lovely daughter and husband, and the world has become more peaceful. There is nothing she would change. Nothing. Well, maybe that one thing. Oh, and that thing, too!
> 
> Written circa mid-2017 to mid-2018

“So that’s it, basically,” Sakura said and stared at the Hokage, lighting fretting with her hands on her lap. Her eyes didn’t leave his, though, as they shined with determination and the confidence a twelve-year-old shouldn’t have when speaking one-on-one with the leader of the village. They sat across from each other, him on his cushion and her on the wood flooring. “I know it sounds weird, and it totally is, but I can’t really give you specifics. I’m worried of upsetting the balance or something. I am quite happy with my life in the future, you know?”

Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed quietly on his pipe, deep in thought. He knew Sakura Haruno well enough from brief meetings he held with academy classes and from the fact she was now on Naruto’s team. He definitely knew she wasn’t the type for pranks or lies. Even still, this was a tough story to accept as truth. 

“Time travel, you say,” he finally spoke, straightening up. Sakura nodded. 

“Unbelievable, right? I thought it was a dream when I awoke this morning to my mother’s call.” 

“Veritably.” 

“So, is there any techniques that you know of that could send me back? I know there are forbidden techniques that are locked away for reason, but… I’d rather get back sooner than later. I have responsibilities to home and work and if I’m here, who knows what is happening there.” 

Hiruzen watched Sakura speak and hesitated before responding. “Unfortunately, no.” 

All the tightness in Sakura’s body suddenly melted away and she fell into herself on the floor. “I thought so,” her mumble worked its way to his ears. She groaned before straightening up again. “Well... is there anyone who would know? Or anyway we can form a team to start researching it?” 

Suddenly, she stopped herself, thinking. Then she bowed quickly and was back up, speaking with conviction. 

“Forgive my rudeness. However, I think it is imperative for me to return home before I can accidentally change anything here. I must be at least twenty years in the past, considering-.“ She quickly cut herself off, but then continued with a new thought. He raised an eyebrow, but didn’t stop her. “A lot of things occur – big things, things I don’t think I should speak about. If I stay here and change something even by a little bit, what if the future changes for the worst. So, I implore you,” she said, dipping back into a bow, “please help me with researching how I can return home.” 

He was about to respond, but then she straightened and held a hand up, palm facing him. Her eyebrows were tightly knitted, drawing her eyes in shadow. 

“And please – this event needs to be known by as few people as possible.” 

Hiruzen felt a cold bolt go down his spine, but didn’t show any reaction on his body. He felt as if she was trying to speak of some specific person, but did not want to ask. “Fine,” he said slowly wiith a nod. “If what you say is true, we should try to keep things as normal as possible.” Sakura had a light smile on her lips, but it was wiped off just as quickly as it appeared. “However, you have yet to provide evidence that what you say is true.” 

Sakura blinked, then looked down for a moment in thought. When she looked up again, she didn’t seem so sure of herself. “Well, I think the only evidence I can provide is of the past since I could just be making up anything from my life.” She paused again, eyeing him. “May I say a certain thing that only few people know? I do not want to cause any trouble, but it Is the main thing I can think of right now.” 

He nodded, not knowing what she was getting at. Sakura cleared her throat. 

“The Uchiha Clan Massacre was done on part of Konoha.” 

She was not even halfway though the name Uchiha before Hiruzen’s eyes sharpened on her. 

“How did you find that out?” He quickly responded with quiet words. 

“My hus- rather, my team were told by Sasuke and the then Hokage made it common knowledge so such an event could hopefully be prevented if it were to ever occur again.” 

\---

Sakura walked to the academy, the worries bubbling in her stomach having little to do with the upcoming exams. She knew she could get through the exams themselves, hell, she did it before without the knowledge of what was to come. (It has been about twenty years, but she sort of has memories of some of the things that have happened. Some is more than none.) However, the fact that she had to pretend to be her twelve-year-old self for several days and knowing that Orochimaru was coming and she could do nothing to prevent it from happening lest the future potentially changing. Now that was truly scary. 

She saw Naruto and Sasuke standing together in the yard. They weren’t looking at each other, but at the foreign ninja around them. They looked cute. Last night, Sakura had kept looking at photos of them as children to get used to the fact they weren’t in their thirties anymore. Luckily, her past-self kept the team photo on her desk, as well as a convenient diary that was updated daily. Reading it really let her in the twelve-year old mindset – and really made her feel embarrassed about herself. But that was neither here nor there. Steeling herself, she walked up to them with a smile. 

“Hey, guys!” 

“Why are you late, Sakura?” Naruto got a bit closer, and then waved his arm excitedly. “Let’s go!” 

She nodded and they made their way into the building. She followed the two, watching the people around her as the team made their way to the third floor. There wasn’t a particular person she was looking for, just observing passively. She was interested in the old academy as well. Konoha was completely destroyed in a just a few years from this point. These walls had good and bad memories. A nostalgia from a source she wasn’t expecting hit her. 

She stopped with the boys at a crowd and she watched absently, her mind on other things, when Sasuke mentioned her. Ah, right, the genjutsu. 

“I could tell when I walked in that this was still only the second floor,” she said, and then glanced away from the clearly transformed Izumo and Kotetsu. “Shall we go on?” she asked her boys, only to be faced with the shiny black hair of Rock Lee. He still had baby fat in his cheeks! 

He asked her out. She laughed. And then stopped laughing as quick as possible by slapping her hand against her mouth. How rude, she inwardly chastised herself, he’s only a kid. 

“Sorry! That just surprised me,” she said, trying to roll with the awkward situation and the hurt look on Lee’s face sort of melted away. Naruto and Sasuke were glaring at him. Well, in any case, she needed to reject him. But being softer about it then she did last time wouldn’t change much would it…? 

While she was thinking, her eyes strayed from Lee to his teammates. The moment she saw Neji, her heart dropped. Oh. It hurt more than she thought it would. Of course, she thought of him in the future. She would go on walks with Naruto and Hinata to the graveyard every now and then. He was a good man and died too soon. That was war, though. 

She wanted to thank him for what he did. And apologize that she couldn’t save him. But he was only thirteen here, years before the war began, before he got his attitude changed by Naruto. 

She must have been staring at him too long because he was glaring back now. Lee was looking between the two, the hurt back in his face. Naruto was gripping his fists by his chest, looking ready to yell. Sasuke was looking away. Tenten broke the silence. 

“Looks like you have a new fan,” she groaned, turning away. 

“Ah, no!” Sakura put her hands up defensively. “I’m not interested. Sorry, you just… look like someone I used to know.” She rubbed her neck softly, looking back at Rock Lee. She bowed. 

“Sorry, I’m not interested in dating. And I don’t want someone to protect me. I want to be able to protect myself.” And I’m already married, she thought in her head. Gosh, kids during puberty either had too many crushes or too many enemies. She didn’t want to live in this time again. 

“Let’s go,” she said, looking quickly at Naruto and Sasuke before breaking through the crowd and fast walking out of the situation. She stopped by the stairs noticed that they weren’t right behind her. She saw that the boys were talking with Team Gai, probably giving introductions. Lee glanced over at her a few times and she tried to not maintain eye contact. Poor kid. 

While Naruto and Sasuke walked their way over to her, she saw Team Gai watch them silently. Neji looked away first and walked down the hallway with his team in the opposite direction, probably heading to another stairwell. 

If she could change something, she thought, she would want to change his future. It wouldn’t change the outcome of the war most likely. It wouldn’t change Kaguya’s plan. She glanced at Sasuke who was in front of her. If she could change things, she would change a lot for him. And for Naruto. 

A sudden discomfort welled in her. Life certainly sucked for a long time for them before things got better. She could change things right now. She could do a lot. 

As they reached the door and Kakashi congratulated them for coming, Sakura didn’t pay attention. She looked up at him, a younger version of her Kakashi, the retired Hokage, and one thing slipped from her mouth. 

“Orochimaru is here. He wants Sasuke.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The special thing about this one is that this is a finished chapter. Maybe needed some editing her and there, but it hit all the things I wanted in the first chapter. The discussion about how she doesn't want to be here, the seeds of doubt, and the action.
> 
> But I have no more will to finish it, so WHOOPS.


End file.
